title: Effectiveness of financial incentives to improve adherence to maintenance treatment with antipsychotics: cluster randomised controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test whether offering financial incentives to patients with psychotic disorders is effective in improving adherence to maintenance treatment with antipsychotics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cluster randomised controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community mental health teams in secondary psychiatric care in the United Kingdom.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder, who were prescribed long acting antipsychotic (depot) injections but had received 75% or less of the prescribed injections. We randomly allocated 73 teams with a total of 141 patients. Primary outcome data were available for 35 intervention teams with 75 patients (96% of randomised) and for 31 control teams with 56 patients (89% of randomised).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants in the intervention group were offered £15 (€17; $22) for each depot injection over a 12 month period. Participants in the control condition received treatment as usual.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary outcome was the percentage of prescribed depot injections given during the 12 month intervention period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  73 teams with 141 consenting patients were randomised, and outcomes were assessed for 131 patients (93%). Average baseline adherence was 69% in the intervention group and 67% in the control group. During the 12 month trial period adherence was 85% in the intervention group and 71% in the control group. The adjusted effect estimate was 11.5% (95% confidence interval 3.9% to 19.0%, P=0.003). A secondary outcome was an adherence of ≥ 95%, which was achieved in 28% of the intervention group and 5% of the control group (adjusted odds ratio 8.21, 95% confidence interval 2.00 to 33.67, P=0.003). Although differences in clinician rated clinical improvement between the groups failed to reach statistical significance, patients in the intervention group had more favourable subjective quality of life ratings (β=0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.26 to 1.15, P=0.002). The number of admissions to hospital and adverse events were low in both groups and did not show substantial differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Offering modest financial incentives to patients with psychotic disorders is an effective method for improving adherence to maintenance treatment with antipsychotics.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN77769281.
authors.affiliation: Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry, Queen Mary University of London, Newham Centre for Mental Health, London E13 8SP, UK.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Priebe
authors.forename: Ksenija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yeeles
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bremner
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lauber
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eldridge
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ashby
authors.forename: Anthony S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Forrest
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Burns
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D060046:Maintenance Chemotherapy / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012201:Reward; D055815:Young Adult; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents